1969
Don and Doris open the first Gap store at 1950 Ocean Avenue in San Francisco, California. Men's Levi's jeans and record tapes are the only items for sale.
1970
The second Gap store opens in San Jose. At 6,500 square feet, half of the space is configured as a stock room. Gap begins selling Levi's for gals.
1972
By its third anniversary, Gap has grown from one store to 25. Fisher Enterprises launches a second retail venture, Pants%ff!, “the discount pants store," on Columbus street in San Francisco.
1974
The first Gap-label products appear in our stores.
1976
The Gap Stores, Inc. “goes public” with an initial offering of 1.2 million shares of stock at $18 per share.
1977
The Gap Stores, Inc. launches two new chains of stores: Logo, targeting a more mature and fashion conscious customer and Brands, offering value-priced products.
1978
“Gap Fashion Pioneers,” Gap’s in-house label of jeans and corduroys, debuts.
1981
The first SuperGap, a store format nearly double the size of a standard Gap store, opens in Concord, California. It is intended to compete with Miller’s Outpost, a competitor that recently opened extra-large stores.
1982
Gap partners with Dodge Motors to raffle off 18 Dodge Chargers during the Back-to-School season.
1983
The Gap Stores, Inc. purchases Banana Republic, a two-store safari and travel themed retail store and catalog business founded in Mill Valley, California in 1978.
1984
Gap introduces its iconic Pocket-T in 21 colors.
1985
Michael J. Fox wears the Gap Pocket-T in Back to the Future.
1986
The first GapKids store opens in San Mateo, California.
1987
Gap expands outside the United States for the first time, opening several stores in London.
1988
The now-iconic blue square Gap logo debuts mid-year, replacing the round, lowercase letters in use since 1969.
1989
The first Gap store in Canada opens in Vancouver, British Columbia.
1990
babyGap debuts in the GapKids store at Laurel Village, San Francisco.
1991
Maggie Gross, Gap Senior Vice President of Advertising and Marketing and the creator of the Know-How and the Individuals of Style campaigns, is inducted into the Retail Advertising Hall of Fame.
1991
Gap announces that at the end of 1991, Levi’s products will no longer be sold in Gap stores.
1992
Supermodels wearing Gap white denim jeans and woven shirts grace the cover of Vogue Magazine’s 100th anniversary issue. The Gap, Inc. stock price reaches an all-time high of $59.
1993
The Who Wore Khakis ad campaign debuts with vintage black and white photographs showing legends such as Ernest Hemingway and Gene Kelly wearing khaki pants.
1994
The first Old Navy store opens in Colma, California, based on the successful prototype, Gap Warehouse. The brand’s new name is inspired by a bar in Paris.
1994
Gap Outlet stores open their doors as part of the new Gap Factory Outlet division.
1995
Gap and GapKids stores open inside of Tokyo’s Hankyu department store, with freestanding stores opening soon after.
1996
Sharon Stone stuns the fashion world by showing up at the Academy Awards wearing a black Valentino skirt, a velvet Armani coat, and a $26 mock turtleneck.
1997
Old Navy reaches $1 billion in annual sales, making it the first retailer to do so in less than four years.
1998
The Seinfeld series finale features both Gap’s Khaki’s Swing ad and an Old Navy ad featuring Carrie Donovan and Magic the Dog.
1999
The San Francisco Chronicle names Gap Inc. “Company of the Year” out of 500 top companies in Northern California. Gap launches “1969” jeans, a limited series of premium denim jeans.
2000
The first Old Navy Outlet store opens. OldNavy.com opens for shopping.
2001
Old Navy expands internationally, opening stores in Canada.
2003
Madonna and Missy Elliot star together in a Gap commercial to promote the Fall season’s corduroys and blue jeans.
2004
Gap Inc. founder Don Fisher steps down as Chairman of the Board, continuing to sit on the board of Directors with the title Chairman Emeritus.
2005
Banana Republic opened its first store in Japan. The store was located in Printemps Ginza in Ginza, Tokyo.
2006
Gap partners with (RED), a brand launched by Bono and Bobby Shriver, releasing a line of products from which half the profits support disease-fighting programs in Africa.
2007
Gap Foundation, in partnership with vendors and non-governmental organizations, launches the P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement) program, which teaches life and work skills to women who work in the garment factories where our products are made.
2008
Athleta, a women’s activewear catalog company founded in 1998, is acquired by Gap Inc.
2009
Don Fisher, co-founder of Gap Inc., passes away.
2010
Gap opens in China with stores in Shanghai and Beijing and Gap.cn launches for online shopping.
2011
Athleta opens its first brick-and-mortar store, located on Fillmore Street in San Francisco.
2011
Banana Republic’s Mad Men collection, a unique collaboration with the Emmy Award-winning television show’s costume director, Janie Bryant, hits stores. Two more collaborations follow in 2012 and 2013.
2012
Banana Republic designs uniforms for Virgin America, joining a long history of notable fashion designers who created airline uniforms.
2012
Old Navy begins featuring celebrities in TV commercials. Included is “Cheermageddon” starring George Takei, which debuts on Black Friday.
2013
Gap Inc. acquires Intermix, a 32-store chain of luxury boutiques across North America, founded in 1993 by brothers Khajak and Haro Keledijan. Intermix opens a store on Bowery in Manhattan, its first new store since joining Gap Inc.
2013
Gap Inc. forms Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety to improve factory conditions in Bangladesh.
2014
Gap Inc. announces that the starting minimum hourly wage for US store employees will increase to $9 in 2014 and $10 in 2015. Gap Inc. is the first major retailer to do so. President Barack Obama makes a surprise visit to a Gap store in Manhattan to show his support.
2015
Gap Inc. pledges to expand the P.A.C.E. program and advance the lives of one million women by 2020. This will be achieved, in part, by Gap Inc. offering access to the P.A.C.E program to global partners and other corporations.
2016
Athleta launches the brand’s first TV ad.
2017
Gap debuts the “90s Archive Reissue” featuring iconic product from that decade.
2018
Hill City launches, a high-performance, men’s lifestyle brand.
2019
Banana Republic reissues the “Dissent Collar” and it sells out in one day.
2019
Gap celebrates 50 years!
2019
Janie and Jack, a high-end children’s store, is acquired by Gap Inc.
2019
Athleta signs on its first sponsored athlete, Allyson Felix.
2020
Gap Inc. unveiled its Power Plan 2023 strategy to grow its purpose-led, billion-dollar lifestyle brands.
2021
As part of its Power Plan, Gap Inc. closes men's performance brand, Hill City, and sells Janie and Jack to Go Global Retail and Intermix to Altamont Capital Partners.
2021
YEEZY GAP drops the Round Jacket—the first of many iconic products.
2021
Gap Home exclusively launches on Walmart.com with a 200-piece collection featuring bed, bath, tableware, rugs, pillows and more.
2021
Simone Biles joins Athleta’s growing roster of all-star athletes and changemakers.
2021
Banana Republic reintroduces its new brand identity, positioning, and brand promise, the BR Look.
2022
Athleta announces holistic partnership with Grammy winner Alicia Keys focused on supporting women’s well-being.
2022
Gap and Old Navy enter the metaverse with a series of NFT drops, shaping the cultural conversation through a commitment to creativity and innovation.